Son of General Lucio Mansilla Independence and Brasil wars hero, his mother was Agustina Ortiz de Rozas younger sister of Rosas, the Dictator.

Let me give you some historic refernce, independence started in 1810 with May Revolution, it was made by very progressive an idealistic men. Ten years later, finished the independence war, the provinces started to be dominated by strong men, caudillos. Buenos Aires tried to resist, but at last it had his own one, Juan Manuel de Rosas, who was simply more powerful than all the rest. Buenos Aires society become divided, patrician families split, in many cases brothers became violently confronted. So having Rosas us uncle was a marking fact

Being younger than twenty he was sent to India by his father to purchase some goods that could be sold with significant profit in Buenos Aires. He didn´t buy anything but traveled through India, China, Egipto, Turquía, Italia, Francia and England, this travel marked his life for ever.

With the fall of Rosas he experienced political persecution, his family traveled to Paris were the family had intense social life being invited frequently by Luis Napoleón.

Again in Buenos Aires he had a public dispute with a senator and was exiled out of the city for three years. During his exile he was representative in the city of Paraná, capital of Confederación Argentina.

When he came back to Buenos Aires he joinded the army as "war captain" backed by Colonnel Emilio Mitre. He participated in Pavón battle and in Paraguay war.

In 1868 he made his expedition to Ranquel indians being commander in the city of Río Cuarto in Córdoba. Just arriving from this expedition he found himself accused of having executed a deserter without proper military procedures. Being separated of the active service he traveled to Buenos Aires and started writing his Excursion by chapters sent to a newspaper, they were an immediate success.

His biogrphy is very interesting, his book is part of it. He marrided a cousin being very young, she was also niece of Rosas, the caudillo. All his four children died young.

When widowed and living in Paris he married again with a young woman, the marriage was impressive. In a letter congratulating him, President Roca wrote he admired how Mansilla kept the hopes of youth.